Shell-Eneco consortium wins Hollandse Kust (noord) tender

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy has selected the CrossWind consortium between Shell and Eneco to develop and operate the Hollandse Kust (noord) offshore wind project without government subsidies.

The Hollandse Kust (noord) zone consists of two sites located 18.5 kilometres off the west coast of the Netherlands near the town of Egmond aan Zee.

The consortium plans to have Hollandse Kust (noord) operational in 2023 with an installed capacity of 759 MW, generating at least 3.3 TWh per year.

Both companies have already taken their final investment decisions on the project.

The CrossWind consortium has beaten several other bidders, including Ørsted.

“Offshore wind will play a pivotal role in the worldwide energy transition. It will also be another important next step in our ambition to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner, in step with society,’‘ Maarten Wetselaar, Director of Shell Integrated Gas and New Energies, said.

”This wind farm is a crucial part of a new value chain – from wind to hydrogen – with our ambition to build a green hydrogen plant in Rotterdam and with NortH2. This investment fits very well with Shell’s aspirations to competitively deliver more and cleaner energy to our customers, at home, on the go and at work.”

The Hollandse Kust (noord) is one of three offshore wind areas chosen by the Dutch government to be developed by 2023, as part of the country’s Energy Agreement for sustainable growth. The other two wind areas are Borssele and Hollandse Kust (zuid).

This tender is the fifth in a series of solicitations to help the country reach around 11 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030.